Proactive vs. Reactive Parental Mediation: The Influence of Mediation’s Timing at Reducing Violent TV’s Effect on Children’s Aggression-related Outcomes

This study investigated the influence of the timing of active mediation on the effect of violent television on children’s aggression-related outcomes. This study also examined the role of attitude accessibility in mediating the relationship between active mediation and children’s aggression-related outcomes. An experiment with 150 children ages 5-7 and 10-12 revealed that the timing of active mediation alters the influence of the mediation, and that the effect of mediation’s timing depends on children’s level of cognitive capacity. Children relatively high in cognitive capacity tended to have lower levels of several indicators of aggression when they received active mediation before or during their exposure to a violent TV show compared to when they heard the mediation message after their exposure. Children with relatively low levels of cognitive capacity, on the other hand, tended to have lower levels of the aggression indicators when they received post-exposure mediation. Results also provided evidence that instead of increasing the accessibility of children’s negative attitudes about television violence, active mediation likely increased children’s motivation to resist the influence of violent television, which led to lower reported levels of indicators of aggression. These results suggest that proactive mediation can help older children resist the effects of violent TV by increasing their motivation to resist counter-attitudinal persuasive messages. These results also suggest that reactive mediation can be effective for younger children at reducing the effects of violent TV.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Rasmussen, Eric E.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Nathanson, Amy

• Communication
• Developmental Psychology
• Families and Family Life
• Mass Communications
• Mass Media
• children
• media
• television
• parental mediation
• active mediation
• child development
• attitude accessibility
• cognitive capacity
• time
• timing

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1364468517

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1364468517